Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

Today my thoughts go back to Sunday’s second reading.  I chose the opening quote from Hebrews because the word of God is living and effective…I’m able to see that through my families, my siblings, my wife’s siblings, my aunts, uncles, grandparents, my children, my nieces and nephews and my family in faith at St. Mary Magdalen.  So what is this word that is so living and effective?  First, look at the second reading from Sunday’s liturgy…

1 Cor 12:4-11

Brothers and sisters:
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom;
to another, the expression of knowledge according to the
same Spirit;
to another, faith by the same Spirit;
to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit;
to another, mighty deeds;
to another, prophecy;
to another, discernment of spirits;
to another, varieties of tongues;
to another, interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these,
distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.

If one would go on in this chapter, one would read that we are many parts but we are all one body.  How beautiful is that thought?  Can’t you see this reading manifested in your family?  My wife and I have eight children and we have eight very distinct personalities in each of them.  It is something beautiful to behold and now in contemplating our second reading from Sunday, it reveals to me the wonders of God alive in our family.  Where one is loud another is quiet; where one loves is an athlete another is an athletic supporter; where one cantors at Mass another lectors; where one has an appetite for anything cooked another prefers ramen and skittles (somewhat of an exaggeration but close to reality).  The point is rather simple and worth repeating…all these personalities make up one family – our family.  All these personalities make up your family, the Churches family, the world’s family.  So if we are all these personalities and we are all God’s children, then why don’t we live as such?  Spend some time thinking about that question today.  We are all God’s children and as such, we are all one family.  All of our personalities – as different as they are – make up the one body that we should be.  I will conclude with this thought.  In our house is a simple set of 5 rules that Sarah and I ask our children to follow (that can be a topic of another post) and at the conclusion of those 5 simple rules is the following statement…

We are a family, behave as one.

I ask of you who read this post to live as one family with multiple strengths and personalities and to behave as one.

Do something great for our Lord today – tell your family how much you love them.

God’s will, not mine, be done.

Be not afraid; just have faith.

Jesus, I trust in You.

He must increase; I must decrease.